The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-01-15

operation progresses. Every opening
in the tissues is washed out with this
solution. The parts are brought to-
gether with catgut sutures which have
been rendered aseptic. and these sutures
are absorbed, consequently there is
nothing to come away. Catgut being
an animal tissue, is capable of absorp-
ton, and is used for l~igaturing vessels,
sewing up the parts and for drainage.
For this purpose several strands are
placed in the deeper part of the wound
and drain by capillarity. After there
IS no further secretion these are alb
sorbed. After the superficial opening
has been closed and the edges brought
into close opposition, a strip of 'pro-
tective" is laid over the line of suturcs.
Over this is spread a fold of several
t~hicknesses of gauze, antisepti-
cally prepared and busted thickly
on its surface with iodoform.
Over this is placed cotton, also
rendered antiseptic, and the
whole dressing is confined in
place by roller bandagcs. This dress
ing is put on wet-all wet, and almost
dripping with the antiseptic solution.
The dressing is not changed unless
there is some sign that all is not doing
well, until a proper time has elapsed
and its known that the parts have been
healed. Under these methods hospital
gangrene and e~rysipelas are rarely en-
countered, and there is so little dis
charge Of pus that recently it was inn
possible to get enough for u sample for
exhibition to a class at a medical col
lege. This method, with slight changes
in the detail, is now employed at every
good hospital in the country, and by
every surgeon who is up to the times.
The notes of a few cases recently ex-
hibited at the Pennsylvania Hospital,
taken from a students notebook, will
serve to show what is being accomplish
ed there by this improved method. The
first case was that Of young man whose
ley had bpuu amputated above the
ankle twenty-one days before. When
the dressings were removed for the
first time, at the expiration of the
twenty-first day after the operation,
there was discovered a good stump,
which was perfectly healed. Under
the old method of treating such a case
it would have been considered good
surgery to have had the stump entirely
healed and the patient ready to 60 out
inside of ten weeks. Besides, it would
have required a new dressing twice a
day at first, and nearly every day until
the stump was healed.
Another case was that of u young
man who had beet admitted with a
fractured skull, a piece of the latter
pressing upon his brain. The skull
was trephined and the broken bone re-
moved. The wound was then dressed
under the new method asl not disturb
ed until sixteen days had elapsed, when
the dressings were taken of, showing q
perfect closure of the wound. Such an
injury is of itself q serious affair, and
the operation is no less dangerous.
A singular ease was that of a man
who had ruptured by q muscular effort
the long-head of the biceps muscle OF
one of his arms. The tendon OF the
muscle was drawn into q mass at the
bend of elbow. No recorded case SINH
lar to this is known. Knowing what
could be done with antiseptic dressings,
the surgeons decided upon a novel OPP
Grafton. They cut down upon the ten
don, replaced it in a new position, at
tached it as well as could be done to its
proper place, and closed up the incis-
ion, which extended from the shoulder
to the elbow. The dressings were re-
moved after sixteen days, and showed
the wound nicely closed. To be sure
he will not be allowed to use the limb
for some weeks yet until the parts be-
meath become mare firmly united. BY
this novel operation the man will have
q useful arm whereas, had it not been
performed, the arm would have been
almost absolutely useless.
Another case was that of n man
whose knee had been laid open by an
injury, and he had not been admitted
to the hospital until twelve hours after
the accident. Under any other form OF
treatment than the antiseptic method it
is more than probable that the man
would have been compelled to suffer an
amputation of the injured limb. The
leg was saved, and the man will be
able to use it in q few weeks. -Phila-
North american.
His Wife Powdered.